The Rochester Building Safety Department approved 44 building permits for new single-family homes last month. The total was slightly higher than the number reported in June and was 12 below the total from May, but the grand total since the start of the year is now 245. That’s over 50 higher than the total through the first 7 months of last year and puts the city on a pace to have its best year for new home construction since 2007.
The overall building permit total for July was 227 with a valuation of over $37.3 million dollars.

Once again, multi-family housing projects accounted for much of the valuation total. The developer of the 68 unit First Avenue Flats project just north of the downtown area took out a permit worth $8.7 million, and a $4.9 million permit was issued for a renovation project at the Northgate Plaza apartment complex. In addition, two permits valued at a combined $2.2 million were taken out for the footings and foundations of two large apartment projects near the Shoppes on Maine complex that will have a total of 140 units.